New email scam looks like MyGov and claims to be Service NSW

Scam calls, texts, and now emails have become incessant lately during the Covid-19 pandemic. Scamwatch is now warning Australians of a new email scam, where the sender looks like MyGov and is claiming to be Service NSW.

The emails ask you to click on a link to claim a $400 subsidy, which then takes you to a website that looks very similar to myGov — but be warned! This has now been identified as a hefty scam.

Beware of #scam emails claiming to be from Service NSW that ask you to click on a link to claim a $400 subsidy. Clicking this link takes you to a website that looks like myGov – but check out the url – it’s a fake! Delete these emails, don’t click the links or provide your info. pic.twitter.com/NO5w0J3lr2

— Scamwatch_gov_au (@Scamwatch_gov) October 24, 2021

As scams continue to run rampant across Australia, with four major scams being identified in October alone, it first started with calls. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), many of the financial losses are from phone-based scams, which make up $63.6 million worth of losses.

The most recent nationwide scam call in mid-October went so far as to threaten victims with arrest, as the caller claimed to be from the Australian Border Force.

Warning: people are receiving a recorded message claiming to be from @AusBorderForce. It says there is an arrest warrant as they have picked up a parcel addressed to you with illegal contents. They ask you to dial 1. If you receive this call, hang up immediately, it’s a #scam! pic.twitter.com/7UIhsdgAG7

— Scamwatch_gov_au (@Scamwatch_gov) September 23, 2021

From scam calls to email scams, now the scammers are reverting back to text messaging – and they’re getting creative – by now impersonating Australian banks. On Tuesday, Scamwatch warned Aussies not to click any links that are sent by an unknown number claiming you’ve made a payment to ‘OSKO’.

Watch out for #scam texts impersonating Australian banks, saying you’ve made an OSKO payment to a new payee and asking you to click a link to cancel the payment. This is a scam! Delete the texts and don’t click on the links. pic.twitter.com/qVHKemG7We

— Scamwatch_gov_au (@Scamwatch_gov) October 25, 2021

Twitter users were quick to comment, with one user expressing enthusiasm for the scam, saying, “But, but, but … This is comedy gold … BOSKO, good one.  SERIOUSLY: if you get a laughable but dangerous scam text, take a screenshot (for the comedy memory) then delete the text. That way you can’t accidentally click the link.” 

Avoid falling victim to scammers by:

1. Never clicking on a link
2. Not answering unknown numbers
3. Blocking any sender with a call, email, or text that seems suspicious